PDA

View Full Version : Wipes for Newborns



bnme
12-23-2002, 09:26 AM
I'm squeezing in all my last-minute questions today.....

Everything I've red says NOT to use wipes for newborns. 1) How long does this 'rule' apply 2) What are you using in leiu of wipes? Cotton balls and warm water is what I've read. That seems a little --err --messy and inconvienient.

My MIL was drilling me about this the other day, as another 'ridiculous' thing they tell us these days ..."It's a wonder how you all survived" is her favorite saying these days (she doesn't understand the no baby powder, no blankets in crib, no propping the bottle ways, etc).

jojo2324
12-23-2002, 10:50 AM
We were told by the hospital that wipes were fine to use on newborns. I too was confused by this after all my reading and video viewing. At the hospital they used small guaze patches in warm water, but only because they said that using wipes for all the newborns would cost a fortune. So another dirty secret emerges... :( I have too many.

Sorry, but I'm still a little confused by the baby powder thing. I know that you're not supposed to use it because babies can inhale the small particles and it can lead to pneumonia, right? So what's the difference between the small particles in powder and those in cornstarch? Obviously I'm not sprinkling powder in DS's nostrils, but I do hover over his face when using powder (sorry, cornstarch) and try to block it.

Rachels
12-23-2002, 10:58 AM
Baby powder has talc, which is carcinogenic. Cornstarch has no talc.

We used wipes for our newborn. We just made sure to get unscented ones with no added stuff. If she had shown any sign of reacting badly to it, I think we would have just used washcloths or soft paper cloths with warm water. A friend kept a crockpot on low in her nursery, filled with warm water. She just dipped her washcloths in it when the baby needed changing, then had a bin to drop them in. (My midwife had a crockpot with warm water at my birth. She used warm cloths to support me as my baby crowned. It was about the best thing I've ever felt in my life.)

I would try wipes, though, unless you get some kind of early warning sign that your baby might not do well with them. Just look for hypoallergenic ones, and have a backup idea ready just in case.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

bnme
12-23-2002, 11:22 AM
Do the huggies natural care fit the bill? Are there any other choices for natural/hypo-allergenic? I haven't seen, though I haven't researched or nosed around much in the wipes department.

A crockpot! My MIL would get a kick out of that! I can't wait to tell her. I will try wipes first and hopefully they won't be a problem.

I guess you figure out which "rules" you are comfortable breaking along the way. Luckily, I am not too paranoid about this stuff.

As far as the powder/cornstarch issue, I've also heard that cornstarch can cause yeast infections....we cant win can we!!!

Thanks!!!

Momof3Labs
12-23-2002, 01:52 PM
We also used wipes from the time we got home. The "most" hypo-allergenic of the wipes (that I found) are Huggies Supreme Care because they have no propylene glycol (sp?). Otherwise, any soft, unscented wipe is likely to be fine.

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

nohomama
12-23-2002, 02:38 PM
Early on we used cotton pads (instead of balls...less lint) and a spray bottle filled with warm water. I also used flannel wipes which you can find at almost any site that sells cloth diapers. We filled the spary bottle with hot tap water (the water cools considerably when it goes through the atomizer pump) before each change. It really wasn't a big deal. Now we use Target Soft Cloth Baby Wipes in unscented. Lola's bum has never protested.

As for baby powder/cornstarch, I've never had a use for it. I just let Lola wave around in the breeze for a few minutes between diapers.

Good luck answering all your questions.

mama2be
12-23-2002, 04:21 PM
Did she put them on your head..."privates"...what did she do that made it so awesome...I will make sure to pack a crock pot if you highly endorse this :) I just want to make sure I'm doing with the washcloths what feels good!!!

I hope the little angel Abigail is feeling better and you all are having fun and relaxing in Charlotte!!!

nohomama
12-23-2002, 08:51 PM
Neve,

I know you posted to Rachel, but I thought I'd respond as well having had similar experience with a crockpot. The warm wash cloths are indeed used to support the perineum as the baby's head crowns. And as Rachel said if feels GOOD...having the head delivered and out feels better, but the wash cloths make the process more bearable. My midwives also greased Lola's head and my perineum WELL with warm almond oil...I mean they literally poured it over us. If there was ever a time when lubrication is, as Martha Stewart says, a "good thing," delivering a baby vaginally is IT!

I honestly haven't ever met a midwife who doesn't use warm cloths and oil at a birth but if you're uncertain about whether yours do, talk to them. And by all means, if they don't already have some way to warm-up wash cloths, pack that crockpot!

*Edited due to atrocious spelling and punctuation.

Rachels
12-24-2002, 12:33 AM
I agree! I wouldn't consider a crock-pot-less birth, ever. Head crowning is very, very intense. (I remember thinking, miserably, "There is no way out of this. No one will help me." But then we had a crockpot moment, and I rallied and gave birth to my daughter. Wow.) Having warm water held on your perineum is just heaven. My midwives also greased the chute with olive oil. It was a very good thing. Abby was born very easily-- one push for head and body together, no tearing, no episiotomy, no problem.

And thanks for your kind thoughts for Abigail, Neve. I can't even begin to convey how much everybody's support has meant to me.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

mama2be
12-24-2002, 12:46 AM
Thank you Sarah and Rachel!!!

I will ask them on Friday (next appt) if I can have a "crock pot moment) :):):) who would have ever imagined. My birthing class was a natural one but I wish she would have discussed the actual labor more. I would have never known such a thing...If you all have any other advice please bring it on!!!! I'm getting scared with 2 months to go...

cara1
12-24-2002, 01:59 PM
We use bounty paper towels moistened w/H2O (I keep a squeeze bottle on the changing table). Although DS never had a problem w/ wipes, DH did!

Melanie
12-25-2002, 04:16 PM
Johnson&Johnson and Baby Magic both sell a baby powder without talc. It's called something like aloe & cornstarch. I checked the labels-no talc. It works much better, too! I accidentally bought the talc one time b/c it's hard to find the other in the small sizes. Also, just plain cornstarch works well - I'm told.

In the hospital they have something called 'soft cloths' which are really scratchy until you get them wet, we used those at the hospital for diaper changes, but ever after either target non-scented/alcohol free or Huggies Supreme unscented.

Free tip: Use some sort of oil on your baby's behind at first until they're done with the meconium poops! We used baby oil, but I wouldn't recommend it now that I know more about Mineral Oil. Maybe Vegetable Oil? Just not a nut oil.




Mommy to Jonah

kathsmom
12-26-2002, 11:36 AM
My DD's ped. told us to use warm wash cloths to clean DD when she was a newborn, but I think he wanted us to use them forever! Anyway, we went to using wipes not long after her birth. They were just so much easier.

With DS, the hospital used wipes, and we have used wipes with no problem. We use Huggies Natural Care Unscented. One of the other posters mentioned propylene glycol (sp?) - is that a skin irritant? I am going to have to check my Huggies and see if it contains it. We have had no problems with the Huggies Natural Care so far.

HTH and good luck!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)

daisymommy
12-26-2002, 01:46 PM
We were told to use Vaseline on our baby's bum while he still had meconium (which is like tar! Yuck!) and it worked like a charm to swiftly and easily wipe it all off, and leave him nice and soft. Also, we used Huggies Natural Care-Unscented from day one, and he has never had a diaper rash!

_gour0
01-03-2003, 11:24 AM
I've heard several women I know say similar things. My mom says, "I smoked and drank socially and you were all fine." My MIL is the same way. I just tell them that ideas change and that I'm sure when my babies are having babies they will have totally different 'rules'! Ce la vie!

MamaHill_2003
01-03-2003, 04:49 PM
We've used washcloths since Ainsleigh was born. It seemed a trifle inconvenient in the beginning since it takes FOREVER to get warm water in her bathroom. But because of her impatience, we ended up just using a cold washcloth most nights. It didn't even seem to phase her. In fact, she likes it! Of course, if I see that she's made a terrible mess, I get out the wipes. And we travel with wipes (Huggies Natural Care, I believe). But a friend of mine mentioned that she was going through wipes like they were tissue paper the first couple months and couldn't believe how much money she was spending on them. And because I have sensitive skin, I opted for the washcloths. But I say do whatever fits your budget and wants.

Oh, and take whatever you can from the hospital! We came home with these towel-like napkins that we used for wipes for the first couple weeks. They were heaven!

BethG
01-03-2003, 05:33 PM
I used regular wipes from day 1. It was what they gave us in the hospital to use also. I was paranoid about it for about a day and then stopped worrying about it.

I switched to cloth wipes when I switched to cloth diapers.

HTH,

Melanie2
01-05-2003, 03:57 PM
Beth - what do you use for cloth wipes & solution and how do you store them? I have a wipe warmer (which is slowly becoming a wipe cooler after 14 months!), so I was thinking of just mixing up a solution and putting the clothes in there so I could just throw them in the pail with the cloth diapers.



(aka Melanie - who's very glad she wasn't the only one who couldn't
figure out how to log in)

BethG
01-05-2003, 04:26 PM
Melanie, I use an old disposable wipes container filled with the cheapest baby washcloths I could find ($.99 for 8 at Baby Depot on the clearance table). I add 5 drops tea tree oil, the teensiest squirt of Johnson's baby bath, and then fill the container about 1/3 full of tap water. I put about a dozen wipes in at a time, which lasts about a day and a half. The tea tree oil is supposed to have antibacterial properties, but I refill the container often enough that I'm really not too concerned about it, but I like the way the tea tree oil smells! (I got mine at Target, in the vitamin aisle.)

Many, many people just use tap water. Others make very complicated wipes recipes. This takes me about 5 seconds every other day.

HTH,

aka_mama2be
01-05-2003, 05:37 PM
I printed a recipe recently from Punkin-Butt...

3 cups of distilled water (does it matter if distilled)
1/2 Tbsp Natural Baby Wash or Dr Bronner's soap
1/2 Tbsp Natural Apricot, Almond or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp 100% Aloe Vera Gel
3 drops Tea Tree Essentail Oil (antifungal)
3 drops of lavender Essential OIl (I wondered if Dr Bronners lavendar soap could take the place of this)

Anyway I am not endorsing this...never tried it...but since you asked and I had printed it I thought I'd share it...the items in parenthesis were my thought process...

BethG
01-05-2003, 06:34 PM
If you are using a wipes warmer, I have read that distilled water is a good idea to prevent mineral build up in the warmer.

sparkeze1
01-05-2003, 11:32 PM
We used wipes at the hospital! It didn't really seem to affect DS in any way. And we used them for a couple months, then started using washcloths with a spray bottle filled with water, baby soap, and baby oil. And if the poop was all over, sometimes I would just take DS over to the bathroom sink, hold his upper body on my forearm with his butt near the faucet, and rinse him off with warm water. After we switched to cloth diapers we continued to use washcloths, but these days DS poops at most once a day so a lot of times I just wipe off excess poop with a wet washcloth, then give him a bath.

I think the best way to prevent irritation is to give your baby plenty of time to air out. No need for powders, creams, etc. if you air out your baby for as long as possible after every diaper change! Sometimes DS aired out for 10-15 minutes. Of course it's not possible as soon as your baby starts rolling and scooting because there's no way to contain the pee! But airing out seemed to be a cure for everything.

etwahl1
01-06-2003, 12:44 PM
How do you air out the baby for 10-15 minutes? Hopefully this doesn't sound too naive, but I really know nothing about diapering. Any suggestions about getting started and how to do this would be great. I just envision having no diaper on for a few minutes and having a big mess all over the place :)

Tammy,
EDD March '03

BethG
01-06-2003, 03:05 PM
If your baby isn't mobile, you can just let them lay on a waterproof pad or something on the floor. Maybe a blanket underneath if it is cold or the floor is hard.

HTH,

CherylT
01-06-2003, 04:32 PM
And if it's a boy, don't forget to place a cloth diaper or washcloth over him or you may get a shower!

Cheryl (aka CT)
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

mama2be
01-07-2003, 07:13 PM
I just purchased some adorable velour wipes from
www.darlingdiapers.com under accessories. I wish she had more of the saphire ones (love that color)...but bought some with golf clubs and another 6 with frogs...not many boy ones to choose from but some gorgeous chartruese ones for girls. Only .90 cents each 1/2 velour and 1/2 flannel. Someone endorsed them on the parentsplace board. I wonder how many i need they are rather large 8x8...

Almost forgot her bath time blankets look adorable, I am going to keep checking in hopes of finding a pattern that i love...

sparkeze
01-09-2003, 04:32 AM
When you can lay them down and they don't move it's very easy! I used to have DS either in his crib with a mobile on, or on a blanket on the living room floor, and I put a changing pad with a prefold diaper or towel underneath him. I actually didn't put anything on top! Whenever he peed I'd remove the changing pad and diaper and wipe him off. Sometimes I would do this several times! Of course you have to be pretty much watching the whole time so they're not sitting there wet. Or laying I should say. Sometimes I read a book while watching him out of the corner of my eye. I tried to do this at least twice a day and that really helped either get rid of rashes or prevent them. Once he was able to lift his legs up though his pee could shoot up all over his body so I usually kept something on top of him. But newborns don't pee a lot at once so it's pretty contained. Of course, if it's cold it's a little harder but DS was born last April and it stayed fairly warm afterwards. And I should mention that for a newly born newborn you really can't do this for long. Well, I couldn't anyways. Once DS was able to focus on something (meaning, he found his mobile interesting, or some object I held up in front of him) it was possible but before that DS did not want to just lay there. If you're planning to CD another alternative is to leave the cover off for as long as possible everyday. That provides some air circulation too.

memedee
02-03-2003, 10:07 PM
I am a mother and MIL to two expecting mommies.
I did not smoke or drink during pregnancy.My doctor never said anything but it made sense not to.
I am very interested in all the recommendations that are out there today.
Why not take every precaution available to have a healthy child.
We know a lot more today and maybe these kids born today will do more than just survive,they will thrive and be healthier and smarter and improve the world.
Actually when I see all the things available today I realize just how lucky I was that my two children did well!!!

Sharon
02-04-2003, 08:35 PM
>My MIL was drilling me about this the other day, as another
>'ridiculous' thing they tell us these days ..."It's a wonder
>how you all survived" is her favorite saying these days (she
>doesn't understand the no baby powder, no blankets in crib,
>no propping the bottle ways, etc).

You might want to point out that ALL did NOT survive. There were plenty of moms who had to look at empty cribs because we didn't know as much. Most of the crib accidents nowadays happen in OLD cribs. Ask your MIL if she is willing to play the odds when it comes to her grandchild.